There are many disaster situations which require quick deployment of rescue means to save imperiled people. However, most of the conventional rescue equipment is designed for single purpose application. Many old two or three story office buildings are equipped with fire escapes, but these are of little utility in the event of earthquakes. The construction of high-rise office or apartment buildings has brought to light the realization that present fire department equipment cannot reach the upper floors. Thus, a critical need exists for a device that can effectuate resuces of trapped persons from even the tallest buildings.
Furthermore, there are many other rescue situations in which a need for convenient lifesaving equipment exists. People get trapped or stranded while mountain climbing or in floods, for example. In this regard, the present invention has sufficient portability that a rescue team as small as one or two persons can transport the rescue unit to an appropriate location even so remote that conventional hook and ladder trucks could not be used.
In general, this invention relates to rescue devices of the type wherein a chute is disposed between an imperiled structure and a safe place of rescue remote therefrom. People trapped in the structure can escape by sliding down the chute. In like manner, property may also be saved by means of the chute.
The prior art is replete with constructions devised to effect rescues. U.S. Pat. No. 275,197 to Griffin (1883) discloses a cannon mounted on a horse-drawn carriage that shoots a guideline up to a burning building. By a complicated pulley arrangement, a rescue ladder with a chute is then hoisted up to a window to allow a rescue to take place. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 383,491 to Reimers (1888) shows a chute disposed from a window to allow trapped people to slide down.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,750 to Williams et al. (1974) discloses an amazingly complex rescue device that is fixedly mounted on a building beneath a window. Upon actuation, a pad pivots to the ground carrying therewith a chute down which people can slide to safety. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,366 to Okuma et al. (1976) shows a complicated rescue chute that cooperates with a lifeboat for ship accidents.